trade

[treyd]

noun

1. the act or process of buying, selling, or exchanging commodities, at either wholesale or retail, within a country or between countries.

   domestic trade; foreign trade.

   Synonyms: dealing, barter, business

2. the act of buying, selling, or exchanging stocks, bonds, or currency.

   Stock brokerages typically charge a commission per trade.

3. a purchase or sale; business deal or transaction.

4. an exchange of items, usually without payment of money.

   Synonyms: swap

5. Sports.,  the transfer of a player or players among professional teams.

   a midseason trade.

6. any occupation pursued as a business or livelihood.

   Synonyms: craft, living, employment, métier, vocation

7. some line of skilled manual or mechanical work; craft.

   the trade of a carpenter; printer's trade.

8. people engaged in a particular line of business.

   a lecture of interest only to the trade.

9. market.

   an increase in the tourist trade.

10. a field of business activity.

    a magazine for the furniture trade.

11. the customers of a business establishment.

12. Informal.,  trade paper.

13. trades. trade wind.

verb (used with object)

traded, trading 

1. to buy and sell; barter; traffic in.

2. to exchange.

   to trade seats.

3. Sports.,  to transfer (a player under contract) from one team to another.

   The manager traded two defensive players at the end of the season.

verb (used without object)

traded, trading 

1. to carry on trade.

2. to be bought, sold, or exchanged.

   Stocks traded lower after the release of the jobs report.

3. to traffic (usually followed byin ).

   a tyrant who trades in human lives.

4. to make an exchange.

5. to make one's purchases; shop; buy.

adjective

1. of or relating to trade or commerce.

2. used by, serving, or intended for a particular trade.

   trade journal.

3. Also trades. of, composed of, or serving the members of a trade.

   a trade club.

verb phrase

1. trade in,  to give (a used article) as payment to be credited toward a purchase.

   We trade in our car every three years.

2. trade down,  to exchange a more valuable or desirable item for a less valuable or desirable one.

3. trade up,  to exchange a less valuable or desirable item for a more valuable or desirable one.

4. trade off,  to exchange something for or with another.

5. trade on / upon,  to turn to one's advantage, especially selfishly or unfairly; exploit.

   to trade on the weaknesses of others.

trade

/ treɪd /

noun

1. the act or an instance of buying and selling goods and services either on the domestic (wholesale and retail) markets or on the international (import, export, and entrepôt) markets

2. a personal occupation, esp a craft requiring skill

3. the people and practices of an industry, craft, or business

4. exchange of one thing for something else

5. the regular clientele of a firm or industry

6. amount of custom or commercial dealings; business

7. a specified market or business

   the tailoring trade

8. an occupation in commerce, as opposed to a profession

9. commercial customers, as opposed to the general public

   trade only

   trade advertising

10. slang:homosexual,  a sexual partner or sexual partners collectively

11. archaic,  a custom or habit

verb

1. (tr) to buy and sell (commercial merchandise)

2. to exchange (one thing) for another

3. (intr) to engage in trade

4. (intr) to deal or do business (with)

   we trade with them regularly

adjective

1. intended for or available only to people in industry or business

   trade prices

trade

1. Business or commerce; economic activity.

Other Word Forms

• tradable adjective
• tradeable adjective
• tradeless adjective
• intertrade noun
• nontrade noun
• nontrading adjective
• protrade adjective
• retrade verb
• undertrade verb
• untradable adjective
• untradeable adjective
• untraded adjective
• untrading adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of trade¹

First recorded in 1300–50; 1540–50 trade for def. 6; Middle English: “course, path, track,” from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch ( Old Saxon trada ), cognate with Old High German trata; akin to tread

Word History and Origins

Origin of trade¹

C14 (in the sense: track, hence, a regular business): related to Old Saxon trada , Old High German trata track; see _tread

Idioms and Phrases

• tricks of the trade

Synonym Study

Trade , commerce , traffic refer to the exchanging of commodities for other commodities or money. Trade is the general word: a brisk trade between the nations. Commerce applies to trade on a large scale and over an extensive area: international commerce. Traffic may refer to a particular kind of trade; but it usually suggests the travel, transportation, and activity associated with or incident to trade: the opium traffic; heavy traffic on the railroads. See occupation. Trade , bargain , barter , sell refer to exchange or transfer of ownership for some kind of material consideration. Trade conveys the general idea, but often means to exchange articles of more or less even value: to trade with Argentina. Bargain suggests a somewhat extended period of coming to terms: to bargain about the price of a horse. Barter applies especially to exchanging goods, wares, labor, etc., with no transfer of money for the transaction: to barter wheat for machinery. Sell implies transferring ownership, usually for a sum of money: to sell a car.

Example Sentences

Earlier this week, the Commission denied reports it had delayed the announcement of Google's fine amid tensions over trade relations between the EU and the US.

From BBC

Political cartooning is a dying art, usurped by illustrations that trade intelligent ribbing for low-brow button pushing — or, equally as startling, memes that require minimal effort to make.

From Salon

The firm, established in Lancashire in 1970, said the majority of its stores will continue to trade as normal while it explores "options" including looking for a buyer.

From BBC

The Unite trade union said drivers working for various operators under the publicly controlled Bee Network have rejected pay offers ranging between 3.5 and 6% following months of negotiations.

From BBC

I am so proud to have worked alongside the trade union movement, who have given me everything, to deliver that.

From BBC

Related Words

• business 
• commerce 
• contract 
• deal 
• enterprise 
• exchange 
• industry 
• market 
• traffic 
• transaction